The HELLO! Connoisseur Club successfully concluded its fourth season on Friday, 27th September 2024 at Bensley Design Studio, Bangkok. With community being at the heart of everything BurdaLuxury stands for, the fourth season of the HELLO! Connoisseur Club masterclass was a true testament to that ethos.
Week 2: Diplomatic Etiquette
The primary focus of the second week of HELLO! Connoisseur Club was built around diplomatic etiquette, in partnership with Sansiri, Penfolds, The Manner, Mariage Frères, and Chef Arnaud Dunant. Held at Narasiri Phahol-Watcharapol, the second week of the masterclass opened with a welcome speech from Ploenchan Vinyaratn, Owner and Lead Designer, Beyond Living Co., Ltd. This was followed by a lesson on French Etiquette by Manusinee Footrakul, Etiquette Consultant and Co-founder of The Manner (Thailand) who introduced participants to the history of tea in France, dating back to Louis XIV and the top 10 tips for afternoon tea etiquette.
Members of the HELLO! Connoisseur Club enjoyed a tea workshop led by Vimolporn Chanpanich, General Manager, Mariage Frères Thailande, who introduced them to the legend of tea, highlighting the benefits of tea as it pertains to our health, its cultural roots and symbolic meaning, as well as the correlation between tea and opulence. As participants opened themselves up to receiving an in-depth knowledge surrounding tea and etiquette, they immersed themselves in a tea brewing and tea tasting workshop, courtesy of our partners at Mariage Frères Thailande.
Staying rooted in diplomatic etiquette, the masterclass shifted its teachings from tea etiquette to wine etiquette, led by Joshua Yim, Penfolds Brand Ambassador (Southeast Asia). Yim took participants through the history of Penfolds, the art of decanting wine, and the usage of appropriate glassware. The session enlightened participants on how to correctly present and serve wine as well as how to identify faults in wine as it pertains to oxidisation and reduction.
The evening concluded with a panel talk from Khanthong Nuanual, Diplomat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Siriporn Panupong, Advisor to the Thailand Institute of Justice, before participants enjoyed a delicious dining experience courtesy of Michelin-star chef, Arnaud Dunant.
Week 3:
The final week of the HELLO! Connoisseur Club masterclass was held at the Bensley Design Studio, Bangkok, in partnership with Bensley Design Studio and Penfolds. Bill Bensley is an acclaimed landscape architect and interior designer who established the Bensley Design Studio in Bangkok in 1989. A recipient of the 2010 AD100 Awards – an annual survey of the best names in design by Architectural Digest, Bensley has been responsible for the landscaped gardens of hotels such as the Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok and Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa, to name a few.
Participants received an exclusive opportunity to gain first-hand insights from Bill Bensley as he spoke about his background, his experiences, and his work with the Shinta Mani Foundation and all the work that they do in building homes for those in need in Cambodia.
This was followed by an auction of three of Bill Bensley’s paintings, led by Parinya Roonprapat, where participants were able to bid with proceeds aiding the Shinta Mani Foundation. The auction ended with close to THB 700,000 in proceeds that will go on to help the underprivileged citizens in Cambodia to receive shelter.
Christoph Pagel, COO, BurdaLuxury, delivered the closing speech, where he highlighted not just the success from the evening’s auction, but the overall valuable insights that have been passed down by key industry leaders and the visible bonds between participants that were built in the three short weeks.
The success of the fourth season of the HELLO! Connoisseur Club masterclass would not have been possible without the support of our partners at Penfolds, Sansiri, BDMS Wellness Clinic, The Manner, Mariage Frères, Chef Arnaud Dunant, and Bensley Design Studios.
For more information on the HELLO! Connoisseur Club, please click here.
